Tilikum, the whale that dismembered his trainer during a show

In 2010, a group of tourists in Orlando had the misfortune of witnessing one of Seaworld's most tragic shows, after a killer whale dismembered its own trainer.

Tourists, who attended the Dine with Shamu event and were hoping to see one of the best-choreographed orca shows in the world, witnessed the moment when Tilikum, the largest killer whale in captivity, killed his trainer, Dawn Brancheau.

Brancheau was one of Seaworld's most experienced trainers, but her incredible career ended after Tilikum grabbed her by the hair and dragged her into the pool during a petting session in February 2010.

Other trainers tried to free Brancheau but to no avail. At one point, the trainer managed to free herself and swim to the surface, but the killer whale struck her, grabbed her with its jaws, and shook her violently.

Finally, the trainers managed to open Tilikum's jaw and free their colleague, but her arm had already been detached from her body. The killer whale not only tore off her upper limb but also ripped off all her hair and broke all her bones before drowning her.

Tilikum was separated from his family in waters off the coast of Iceland in 1983 and placed in a concrete holding tank at Hafnarfjördur Marine Zoo near Reykjavík.

He was then sent to Sealand of the Pacific in 1984, where he was housed with two female orcas: Haida II and Nootka IV.

Sealand closed after Tilikum and her two companions attacked marine biology student Keltie Byrne, dragging her through the pool and preventing her from surfacing. After several attempts to save herself, Byrne tragically drowned.

Tilikum and the other two orcas were sent to SeaWorld in Orlando, Florida, where the new attacks began.

In 1999, Tilikum killed Daniel Dukes, who had visited SeaWorld the day before and stayed after the park closed undetected by security guards.

Dukes' body was found in the morning, and an autopsy revealed a series of stomach injuries, contusions, and abrasions all over his body, concluding that his cause of death was drowning.

In February 2010, Tilikum carried out his last attack on Dawn Brancheau, being the most traumatic and shocking for the whole world. The news raised questions about the dangers surrounding orcas or whales in captivity.

Experts and former trainers revealed that the orca became a serial killer because of its traumatic time in captivity.

Tilikum passed away in 2017 after facing serious health issues, including a persistent and complicated bacterial lung infection.